Manufacture of articles from celluloid and other plastic materials



C. C. CH1GKBR1NG- MANUFAGTURE OF ARTICLES FROM: GELLULOID AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

PatenteQyZ?, 1885.,

tlg #W r 5 in the manipulation of those stratified mate:

' UNITED STATES l PATENT M-OEEICE. f

CHARLES C. CHICKEEINC, or NEw YORK, N.Y., AssiCNoE r ro AMERICAN ZYLCNITE COMPANY, CE ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS. f

MANUFACTURVE 0F ARTI-CLES FROM CELLULOID AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,273. dated october 27,1885.

Apfnicanfm filed June is, mais. semi No. 1159.124. (No model.)

, to seasoning the material throughout its ver- 5o tical depth. These diiculties are effectually obviated by vmyimproved methods of manu' facture, and the grain or laminee throughout thelnished article will be the sameas in the original stock prior to its being -rolled and 55 l Y pressed into a tubular form. My process' y avoids the great waste of material ineident'to methods inywhich the article to be made is 1 l n eutor punched from the sheet or block, and also obviates any necessity for delayfenv ac- 6o, v Y count of the time Vrequired for seasoningtlie material to beftreated by cutting or punching.

In the practice of luy inventionl take'ad' l piece of sheet zylonite, -celluloid,forsimilar V plastic material compound, preferably having 65 a pyroxyline base,and cut the same intc stripsrs v of a 'size proper forv the formation of tubes of the required length and YVd ianifetertV {j-hex To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known'thatl, CHARLES C. GHICKER- ING, a citizen of the United States, residing at A New York, in the county of New York and 5 State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Manufacture of Ar. ticles from Celluloid and other Plastic Materials, of which thc following isja specifica-` tion. 1o My invention relates toan improved process and means for making tubes and otherarticles from plastic material-fsuch aszylonite, Celluloid, or other compounds-having alpyroxyline base-and is of especial importance rialsknown as factitious grain ivory" in which itis desirable to preserve the natural appearance of the grain intact andwithout longitudinal section of the same.

` -iaw or blemish.

The invention is also applicabl-e to the manufacture of tubes, rings, and analogousV forms from unstratied plastic material. 1;,

In the annexed drawings, Figure I Irepresents in perspective a sheet or strip of celluloid` zylonite, or similar plastic material the longitudinaledges of which are beveled to facilitate the formation of a close-jointed'seam. Fig. 2 is an edge view of said strip. Fig. 3is

`a transverse section of a die and mandrel for forming a tube or tubular body. -Fig. 4 is a Fig. 5 represents a nished tube. Fig. 6 shows on an enlarged scale a ring-such as a martingale-v ring-formed by cutting the tube transversely;

Y and Fig. `7 illustrates a tubular body finished to serve as a handle for any article requiring that convenience, the core of the tubular body being of wood or other suitable material.

In the manufacture of tubes as herotofore practiced the plastic material has vsometimes been forced out of an ejector or Stuffer in a tubular form, or the rings or tubes have been punched or cut out of a solidsheet or block. When forced from an ejector, it is, however, impossible to preserve the individuality of the layers in the rings or finished articles, and when.

cut or punched from solid sheets there is obviously great waste of material. Besides,the prior methods involve expense and delay incident piece A on alternate sides,`as shown at-'a `a,`'7yo A Figs. l and 2, so that' when brought together they will overlap, thereby producing a. tube of uniform thickness and Ahaving al close-tit-y ting seam that is not liable to separate. The strip A, before bending, is softened orrendered flexible by heat, and is then rolled around the mandrel B into approximately the desired round, oval, square, or tubular form, and with the beveled edges a a nearly or quite in contact. The mandrel B, with its surrounding tubular strip, is then placed `in the lower part or half of a Sectional mold or die,

C, of approximate shape, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. `In placing the mandrel and tube 854 within the die'I prefer to arrange the Seam' uppermost and apply thereto a cement lSolv-" ent-such as spirits of camphor or wood alcohol; or other suitable adhesive substance may be applied to the beveled edges of theseam.

I- usually apply over the seam a strip, b, of 9o paper or other suitable material, to prevent the solvent from spreading too rapidly, and also present an obstacle to the entrance of dirt, dust, or extraneous matter which is apt to adhere to the interior of the die. however, may be dispensed with. Thefup per half, C', of the die is now brought down onto thetube and its inclosed mandrelaild Inn@ I l Vo suitable pressure exerted byan'd upon thejinclosed die, either .with Qr. without heat,the latter, however, being preferable, while inclosed in the die, and subjected therei'nto ad equate pressure with the strip of pyroxyline material in contact with .the mandrel. .The

tubewill by these meanstakepthedesired form withoutimparing the grain of the .material, and the seam at the overlapping edges a a will be-accurately and permanently closed, thereby leaving no unsightly ridges and incurring no risk of separation.A The process as described is most applicable to what is termed seasoned materiah but by usingy is now ready. for. finishing -by polishing or otherwise in any desirable manner.- By prO- vidingthe interior'of the die with suitabledesigns a corresponding ornamentation will beimpressed on the tubes While beingl formed. After the tubes are removed from the 'die and polished they are ready forthe market, `and are available as 4handles for canes, umbrellas,

, parasols, Whisks', brushes, Whips, and many other articles. Cut into short; sections, as

shown in Fig. 6,V they serve as martingale' rings, napkin-rings, slide-.rings for parasols andl umbrellas, teething-rings forin-fants,` and various-other purposes.l

By my process of manufacturing tubesfre'm plastic; compounds-. such asicelluloid, zylonite, &c. -thelaminee orstratification, if pres- .lygonal tubes composed of plastic material ent in the original strip or sheet', 'as with ar- Itificial ivory, is preserved with unusual disp tinctness and with all the ordinary characl teristics of natural ivory. n Having thus described my invention, what I 1 claim, is-

1. k,The process of forming round, oval, square, or polygonal tubes from sheets of plastic material having pyroxyline for its base by 5o pressing togetherthe edges of a strip of such material with or without a cement or solvent in a sectional die upon and in contact With a mandrel, substantially as described.

2. Forming tubes from sheets of plastic material -having pyroxyline for their bases by pressing strips With beveled edges in a sectional die upon and in contact with a mandrel aided by a cement or suitable solvent, the interposition over the joint and between the die and the plastic compound or strip of a fibrous, textile, membranous,or other suitable .material, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. rlhe process of forming martngale and other rings from round, oval, square, or pohaving pyroxyline as its base by pressing to` 'gether the edges of a strip of such material in a sectional die upon and in contact with a mandrelf, substantially as described. 4. The combination of a sectional die with a removable mandrel lfor the purposeof formzing tubes from a plastic material having pyroxyline for its base.

In testimonywhereof Iafiix. my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. CHIGKERING.

' Witnesses:

EDWARD L. WooD,

J. A. RUTHERFORD.- 

